*** Chess Low Content Thread ***

[smilingbill]

Looks drawn to me; for the win Black would need to be able to a) block out this bishop from g2 by getting a king to f2 and a knight to f3 which doesnt seem realistic from here or b) have the White pawn blocked all the way back to something like b2 or b3 so that Black can mate with K+2N after winning the bishop c) knight fork

In a practical game it would be worth playing on if just for the knight fork factor

[KyleJRM82]

The 45 45 pool at ICC has been getting on my nerves lately. No strong opponents and loads of wait for a game, so I took a shot at the 15 0 tournaments that have been running all game. That feels like bullet to a guy like me, so the time control has been challenging. I was kind of a good test of my instincts/general ideas.

Here was an interesting game with a fella who is Class A over in Europe and has a site about some kind of prop bet to make GM someday.

Gave him some fits for awhile, but fell victim to the bad player's worst enemy in these positions. "I'll just simplify down and hope for the best." No! Simplifying against stronger opponents just makes it that much less likely for them to make the mistake you need to win.


http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=39440

PGN in spoiler tags

Spoiler:

[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2011.01.09"]
[White "KyleMayhugh"]
[Black "OxidisedLizard"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1359"]
[BlackElo "1861"]
[ECO "E61"]
[Opening "King's Indian defense, 3.Nc3"]
[TimeControl "900+0"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. e3 O-O
6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. e4 c6
11. Be3 Qc7 12. h3 Be6 13. b3 Rfd8 14. Qc2 Rd7 15. Rad1 Rad8
16. Be2 Ne8 17. Bg5 f6 18. Be3 Bf8 19. Na4 b6 20. c5 b5
21. Nc3 a5 22. Rxd7 Rxd7 23. Rd1 Rg7 24. a4 b4 25. Nb1 Be7
26. Nd2 Qa7 27. Bc4 Nc7 28. Bxe6+ Nxe6 29. Qc4 Kf7 30. Nf3 Rg8
31. Nh2 Rd8 32. Rxd8 Bxd8 33. f4 exf4 34. Bxf4 Qxc5+ 35. Qxc5 Nxc5
36. e5 Nxb3 37. exf6 Nc5 38. Nf3 Nxa4 39. Nd4 c5 40. Nb5 Bb6
41. Bd2 Kxf6 42. Kf1 c4 43. Ke2 c3 44. Bc1 b3 45. Kd3 b2
46. Bxb2 cxb2 47. Na3 Bc5 48. Nb1 Ke5 49. Kc4 Bd4 50. Kb3
0-1

[Allen C]

I wouldn't blame that game on trading pieces but on hanging your pawns and some bad moves that made them hard to defend. So, tactics really. When I saw you picking up your a pawn I was hoping it would go to a3 rather than a4. Then your knight got very scared.

[ganstaman]

In general though, I think it is correct to leave more pieces on against a stronger player in hopes of creating a confusing position where they can make just 1 mistake to hand you the game. Otherwise, I agree with Allen about this game.

One other thing I would have considered is 12. f3 instead of 12. h3. It probably doesn't matter much, but both keep an eye on the g4 square. 12. h3 can in some positions open you up to sacrifices like ...Bxh3, which you'd want to avoid. 12. f3 has the added benefit of supporting the e4 pawn so it won't become a liability or tie your pieces down.

After writing this, I went to the chess engine just to see. It does actually suggest 12. f3 (at least if I wait less than a minute) with lines including Rf1-f2-d2. I hadn't thought of it, but opening up for a rook lift is indeed another benefit of 12. f3 over 12. h3.

[smilingbill]

24.a4 b4 could maybe followed by 25.Nd5!? or (?!) creating some confusion I'd also try very hard to make 27.Nc4 work with the idea of 27.-Bxc5 28.Nd6 but not sure if it works.

edit: or 25.Nb5

[KyleJRM82]

Originally Posted by Allen C

I wouldn't blame that game on trading pieces but on hanging your pawns and some bad moves that made them hard to defend. So, tactics really. When I saw you picking up your a pawn I was hoping it would go to a3 rather than a4. Then your knight got very scared.

Pawn moves kill me a lot. I like to think it's because I've spent a lot of time studying tactics, which mostly focus on pieces, so that's what's left for me to make a mistake with.

a3 looks obvious now that you mention it. I'll try to see it next time. After the game, my opponent said "if you didn't have that weak c-pawn I don't think I would have won." That should have been more of my focus.

[KyleJRM82]

Originally Posted by smilingbill

24.a4 b4 could maybe followed by 25.Nd5!? or (?!) creating some confusion I'd also try very hard to make 27.Nc4 work with the idea of 27.-Bxc5 28.Nd6 but not sure if it works.

It felt like Nc4 dropped the c-pawn. I might be wrong on that.

[smilingbill]

27.Nd6 doesn't seem to work but Firebird says you are much better after 27.Bg4. Even afterwards you seem to have been fine until you blundered with 33.f4?, by logically continuing the knight tour with 33.Ng4 you'd still be equal. 27.Bc4 was fine also but you unnecessarily released tension with 28.Bxe6+ (just like in the opening with dxe5)

[KyleJRM82]

Originally Posted by smilingbill

27.Nd6 doesn't seem to work but Firebird says you are much better after 27.Bg4. Even afterwards you seem to have been fine until you blundered with 33.f4?, by logically continuing the knight tour with 33.Ng4 you'd still be equal. 27.Bc4 was fine also but you unnecessarily released tension with 28.Bxe6+ (just like in the opening with dxe5)

Yeah, 33. f4 was just a pure, stone-cold tactical mistake. Born out of two things: 1) Not enough tactics training (never enough!) and 2) Just not having any clue as to how to proceed in the position, which is the pure, sweet primordial ooze from which tactical blunders evolve. Especially in time trouble.

[Noir_Desir]

One thing i've noticed is that you seem to define things a bit early sometimes. There's a saying "tension benefits the side that can relieve it more easily". A good example is opposing rooks on an open file. If you control the square on the file and your backrank, but the opponent doesn't control his, you can exchange rooks and oppose with the other one, while he can't do the same. In this case usually don't exchange.
I refer to the Bxg6 move in your QGD game where you exchange your bishop for a knight that won't run away anyways. Let him think about these tensions and try to improve your position in other ways, before finding a more suitable moment for the exchange. Getting more comfortable with tensions on the board is also a major milestone for chess improvement.

Also, be glad that strong players point out your mistakes here, but don't feel the need to explain them. Mistakes are made in chess, we all know that .

[KyleJRM82]

Thanks as always! My mistakes are the only thing I have insight on. Without explaining them, I'd have nothing to post

[KyleJRM82]

Let's try this one without comments from me first and see what people think:

http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=39521


[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2011.01.13"]
[White "jechess"]
[Black "KyleMayhugh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1677"]
[BlackElo "1609"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Opening "Ruy Lopez"]
[Variation "Berlin defense, Beverwijk variation"]
[TimeControl "2700+45"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O
6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 Bb4 8. a3 Ba5 9. b4 Bb6 10. e5 Nd5
11. Bc4 Nde7 12. Re1 d5 13. Bb3 Bf5 14. h3 a5 15. b5 Na7
16. a4 c6 17. Nc3 cxb5 18. axb5 Rc8 19. Bb2 Qd7 20. Ba4 f6
21. exf6 Rxf6 22. Rc1 Rcf8 23. Ba3 Nac8 24. Ne5 Qe8 25. Bb3 Be6
26. f3 Bc7 27. Nxd5 Nxd5 28. Bxf8 Rxf8 29. Bxd5 Bxd5 30. Rxc7 Qxb5
31. Qc1 Nb6 32. Qc5 Qxc5 33. Rxc5 a4 34. Rb1 Rf6 35. Rcb5 Nc4
36. Rxd5 Nxe5 37. dxe5 Ra6 38. Rd8+ Kf7 39. Rd7+ Ke6 40. Rdxb7 a3
41. Ra1 Kxe5 42. Rxg7 Kd4 43. Rxh7 Kc3 44. Rb7 Ra4 45. g4 Rb4
46. Rxb4 Kxb4 47. Rxa3 Kxa3
1-0

[ganstaman]

Some really quick thoughts (so likely all wrong...):
-Something seems wrong in that opening for black. I wonder if white could have played 6. Bxc6 and 7. Nxe5 successfully.
-Why 13...Bf5 instead of 13...Bg4? I believe the latter wins the important d4-pawn, and if not, it should still be at least an annoying pin.
-I'm seeing 22. Rxe7 Qxe7 23. Nxd5, and the fork wins back the exchange, which should leave white up a pawn.
-22...Rcf8 seems wrong given the pin it allows and black's pieces seem all overloaded. Maybe 22...Rd8 instead? Still lets the knight out and adds protection on the d-file.
-I wanted to try 35...a3. It should be better than losing a piece at least.

[Ajezz]

In the opening, you should strongly consider 4..Nxe4. After all, this is the whole point of playing 3..Nf6. After e.g. 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 you have reached the starting point of the Berlin endgame which is a respectable line for Black.

I saw in the database that 6..exd4 is basically never played (and therefore most probably bad), I guess because you just give up the centre without a fight. Just 6..Bb6. The pawn exchange is also bad because it gives White the extra option of playing e5 sometime. Without the exchange, e4 is still hanging.

Instead of 10..Nd5, an option is to play 10..Ne4 with 11..d5.

I hate 11..Nde7. You have to keep your position in the centre. If he had played 12. d5 you are toast. Just play 11. Nce7.

[KyleJRM82]

Thanks guys! Those suggestions make a lot of sense.